All You Had To Do Was Stay
by Tarts Wardrobe
Summary: well it could've been easy / all you had to do was stay ;; Matt is leaving to go on tour in America and there is nothing Mimi can do to stop him.


**ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY**

 **Disclaimer** I don't own Digimon or any recognizable names/places/products/songs/etc.

The title of this story comes from Taylor Swift's song _All You Had To Do Was Stay._ However, Ryan Adam's cover is what inspired this story. Give it a listen.

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 **JULY 2014.**

The air is thick with both humidity and unsaid words. It is an impossibly warm and sticky night, the sort of night where any clothing is too much clothing and simply moving about is most uncomfortable. There is a party going on inside where the air conditioning unit is being put to work, blowing frigid air onto the guests below. Despite this, Mimi Tachikawa is alone sitting on the balcony outside. Her bare legs are sticking to the plastic chair and she is almost positive that the back of her blouse is soaked entirely through with sweat.

He slides open the door and it's almost as if the volume has been turned up outside. The sounds of the party flood out onto the balcony but it's quickly silenced when he shuts out the world behind him. She looks up and offers him a small, sad smile and watches as he sits in the chair to her left. There is silence between the two for a minute or so before he speaks up.

"Whenever I come out here and see this view I wonder if I truly want to leave this place."

She knows just what he means. The balcony had the most perfect view of the bay with the bright lights of Tokyo sparkling in the distance. Her attention is focused on the bridge connecting the island to the city, she can just about make out two or three cars making their way across. Everything else felt incredibly still, like the whole world was on pause except for the two of them just sitting there.

"So how come you're not inside enjoying the festivities? There has never been a party you haven't liked." He laughs at his own words and turns to look at the girl sitting beside him. Her eyes are still elsewhere so all he gets is her profile view and for what feels like the first time ever, he really takes a moment to appreciate how beautiful his best friend has grown up to be. Of course she was still the same old Mimi from summer camp all those years ago, but there were some subtle changes. If asked, he wouldn't be able to pinpoint exactly when these changes occurred but it was almost as if she just switched something on inside of herself. He stares at her now a little bit too intensely and studies her features as if to commit them to memory; like the way her nose is turned up ever-so slightly, the way her normally immaculate hair, now pulled up into a high ponytail was starting to get a little bit frizzy around her heart-shaped face or the way the stars from the clear night sky were reflecting themselves in her skin. He knew he needed to memorize every detail of her, because before he knows it he will be gone. So, he mentally maps out the stars on her skin, as if he was Galileo mapping out the constellations.

"This isn't the sort of party that I enjoy." Her voice shakes him out of the spell that she has unknowingly put him under.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asks as she brings her knees in close to her chest. There is the brief sound of her legs unsticking from the plastic seat.

"It's your going away party, Matt. How can I enjoy myself when I know that you will be gone tomorrow?"

He sighs loudly and she looks to him expectantly, dragging her gaze away from the bay. He remains silent, closing his eyes and leans his head back. Moments that drag on into eternities pass before he speaks.

"You know I have to go, Meems. I can't stay here." If she wasn't so preoccupied in willing the tears that have built up in the corners of her eyes not to fall, she would have been able to hear his voice break.

She can't bear to respond to this, knowing full well that if she dares open her mouth all that would come out would be a sob. They look into each other, his ocean eyes and her whiskey ones. They stay like this until their private moment is interrupted by their friend, Tai who slides open the glass door.

"Ah the guest of honour!" Tai's voice is so bright and cheerful, it feels almost foreign to the two of them. "What are you two doing out here? Come back inside, Sora brought cake!" He slams the door shut and they are left in their own silence once more. Matt makes a move to stand up but she grabs his hands. He never really appreciated just how well their hands fit together until now. He rubs his thumb in small circles in her palm and she smiles softly.

If he listens hard enough, he could hear her heart breaking into thousands of pieces. But he can't focus on anything except for the civil war going on inside his head. A part of him, his heart if he really stops to think about it, knows that she is the most perfect, palpable aspect of his life. She always has been. But the two of them seemed so oblivious to it all until the eve before the end. Another part of him, his brain most likely (the more sensible organ), knows that the two of them can't work - won't work, while he tries to chase his dreams. And that's exactly what he's doing, chasing his dreams all the way to America. As much as that kills him he knows it's what is right for him. He knows if he doesn't take this opportunity he would regret it for the rest of his life.

And she knows that if she asks him to stay and he obliged, he would resent her for just as long.

She knows this but when they both stand up and he pulls her tightly into his chest she can't help but bring her lips to his ears and mutter the one word that has been on the tip of her tongue all night.

" _Stay._ "

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Everyone who stayed for the night is awake bright and early for Matt's send off. His trunk is packed and waiting for him by the door as he makes his way around the room saying his goodbyes.

"If you do get famous in America" Tai begins, engulfing Matt in a bear hug, "try to get me an introduction with Taylor Swift, yeah?" Everyone scoffs and rolls their eyes back in their heads, laughing.

He tells Tai he'll do what he can and moves onto Sora.

"You better keep in touch!" She demands, her tone maternal as always. He promises he that he'll do his best. He takes a minute with everyone else until just Mimi is left. It feels as though last night is a million miles away. He looks down at her intently and can't help but realize the stars from last night have vanished from her skin. She smiles at him brightly and pulls him in for a hug.

"Oh Matt, I'm just going to miss you so much!" Her cheerfulness takes him by surprise. "I love you," she says this lightly and he can't help but wonder if there's any weight to her words. "You're my best friend." She finishes and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek. There is a brief second where all he wants to do is push her up against the wall and really kiss her. But the moment is fleeting and he turns away and grabs the handle of his trunk, motioning to his brother that it is time to leave.

He says a final goodbye to the room but his eyes are only on her and her cheerful façade cracks. All the tears she has been holding onto since last night silently come flooding out and as much as it breaks his heart he turns on his heel and out the door.

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 **Authors note** just something that I have been thinking about for a while now. I never write Mimi/Matt (I much prefer Michi) but I was inspired. Thank you for reading!


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